[PQ] [SE] we've got a ways to go

I’m not an artist I’m a fucking work of art

Another trip out to sea. Another pod of fucking ghostwhales headbutting his fucking ship. Another load of repairs.

It's safe to say that the mood aboard the Ark has been a bit sour ever since the encounter with the doomed starwhale, and the creature's demise has every part to play in it, regardless of how Jack's priorities fall.

Right now, though, those priorities extend to his ship and his crew and getting the Ark ready to sail again come Flowerbirth. He's arranged for repairs to start near noon, because while it never gets cold in Torchline, the Deepfrost chill of morning isn't a great time to get in the water.

Jack is waiting at the gangplank leading up onto the Ark, already stripped to the waist and with a manta crystal pressed to his throat. Around him are a number of supplies and objects: nets, cannon balls, supplies, barrels, and maybe even some new furniture. Throw chairs into the water, will you, dumbasses? And the captain waits.

---

This is a PQ to get the Ark patched up and feeling better after the bumpy ride on the KQ! It is open to the Ark crew and/or any associates.

I'm hoping to rock and roll this one pretty quickly, so prompt replies will be super appreciated!

It is assumed that when you show up, your character is already aware that this is happening. The following tasks are available:

1. Nets
2. Cannons
3. Supplies & Furniture
4. (Bonus Ball) Jack

Please post your character arriving and choose a task!

1. Raza
2.
3.
4.

Aurelia

and that the world is always our fault
when we did nothing, how did we do wrong?

Aurelia was there when the Ark got its shit rocked and lost a lot of its supplies - all in vain, by the way. Jack's undoubtedly upset, which is... reasonable. By extension, she feels responsible. Enough to help out with repairs today, at the very least.

But she makes no point of drawing attention to herself, hoping to avoid Jack's wrath and any potential public humiliation. Maybe she can simply get through this without any monumental fuck-ups, and therefore go unscathed.

Although she can't help the pleasantly surprised "Oh, new chairs!" that slips out, which is immediately regrettable. Ducking her head, she makes her way towards the supplies and begins moving them up to the deck.

---

Aurelia will start moving the supplies & furniture!

and I've been thinking that when we thought
the world would break us, that we weren't wrong

Melita

I never had a chance to be soft
I was always bloody knuckles

Oh, there were a myriad of things Melita could say.

But given the state of the ship, and the overall mood and tone, she wisely said nothing. She’d have her own wherewithal and emblems to apply to later.

So she sidestepped around Jack and any possibility of getting in his crosshairs, waving towards Aurelia, and eyeing the general stature, damage, and anything else done to the ship. The manta crystal and necklace remained in her pocket, just in case, and the anklet on her skin stayed where it always had, the charms dangling against her flesh.

Instinctively, Melita moved towards her beloved cannons, grabbing hold of the weapons and armaments necessary for their instrumental purpose, and function, tending to their filaments with a growing expertise, and Fangorn gliding behind her.

--

Melita chooses cannons!

and shards of glass
I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me

how do you wanna face it? when the end is so close you can taste it

When she hears what happened to the Ark this time, Raza just shakes her head an’ internally doubles on down on the reasons why she’ll never be part’a the crew. Giant skeletal whales eatin’ other whales that are fallin’ from the sky? No thanks. Not for her. Even when she considers that the cannons sound fun, who the fuck would voluntarily let Jack be their boss day in an’ day out?

The Ark, however, needs to be repaired so they can go about their business. His business, her business, their business. So with Manta crystal in hand, Raza trots on over to the port an’ finds the ship ‘n crew startin’ up like the fucked up hive they are. She smiles and claps Jack on the back, eyein’ the load’a stuff around them. With Melita takin’ on the cannons and another woman takin’ the furniture, Raza goes for the nets.

“Mendin’ this or haulin’ it back on the Ark?” she asks - because while she can do some mendin’ an’ sewin’, she doesn’t know if it’s new or old netting.

I’m not an artist I’m a fucking work of art

No bonus ball, then. Good.

Jack raises an eyebrow at Aurelia and her new chairs remark, watching her carefully as she begins about her work. A nod is given to Raza and something similar to Melita, before the captain moves to stand at the edge of the dock beside the ship. "One, then the other," he tells Raza; she'll find the nets in fairly decent shape, but they do need mending here and there. The Ark used most of her good nets trying to uselessly go after ghost whales.

As for the cannons? Melita will need to spend a good deal of time transferring the cannonballs from the docks to the ship, as well as cleaning up the cannons themselves. All good so far, but how long will that last?

Aurelia, meanwhile, will find that the new furniture is actually of pretty decent quality. Unfortunately, one of the sacks of oats and grain were nicked on delivery, and she'll find herself trailing it up the gangplank. Oops, better fix that.

All the while, Jack has dropped right into the waters beneath the ship, and has disappeared.

---

Let's get to work! I'd like to move this on ASAP if possible. :)

Melita

I never had a chance to be soft
I was always bloody knuckles

Sometimes the repairs aboard the Ark hadn’t gone her way – brief flickers of memories in cloud wyrms (ones she thought adorable and the moments turning sour very, very quickly), and as she had no intention of dangling out along the thin air, or being exposed to something else seemingly innocent and then not, Melita worked with things she understood.

So far, so good (weird), and the youth took no issue in the laborious, heavy, grinding work of moving the cannonballs. Striving, trying, one by one, her muscles worked, grabbing hold of the ammunition, and making a pathway towards the armaments. Back and forth, forth and back, carried along the deck to their destination.

Then there was the cleaning – twisting, turning, ensuring nothing was caught or stuck within them. Fangorn grabbed hold of several rags and implements for her to utilize, and the honeybee ignored the dull ache in her arms.

--

Melita tries to move the cannonballs and clean the cannons!

and shards of glass
I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me

Aurelia

and that the world is always our fault
when we did nothing, how did we do wrong?

Even more pleasant is the fact that this stuff is nice! Her eyes light up, though upon realizing Jack's watching her carefully, she pretends not to be quite so happy about it. Yes, she should look rather disappointed. So she makes a point of frowning out of concentration as she begins to lift and carry the furniture up the plank.

Aurelia makes every attempt not to impede anyone else's progress, trying not to bump into anyone or trip over them herself. She thinks she's being very conscientious. That is, until she realizes there's a sack tagging along on her ventures, spilling out its oat innards everywhere. Setting the chair down on the deck, she retrieves the bag and ties it off so that the rest of its contents won't be going anywhere.

As for what's already spilled out... with a soft sigh, Aurelia retrieves a broom to clear it - hopefully before any Hels get whiff of it. As long as that's not too much trouble, she'll return for the supplies.

It's only then that she realizes Jack has disappeared. Huh. Oh well.

---

Aurelia will try to clean up the oats and get back to the rest of the supplies!

and I've been thinking that when we thought
the world would break us, that we weren't wrong

how do you wanna face it? when the end is so close you can taste it

Mendin’? Fiiiiiiine. Like any good self-sufficient woman in a sea-side town, she has a wide array of life skills, but that doesn't mean she likes the mendin' side'a things. Raza makes a face at the task but nods, accepting the task she volunteered herself for. However, she doesn’t have a needle with her, so she has to get one’a the crew to let her borrow theirs. After a bit’a cajolin’ an’ then threatenin’, Raza has her netting needle in hand and finds some matchin’ material. In lieu of a place to hang the net up, she spreads it out over the dock and then starts to go over it, plant by plant.

When she finds a hole, she sits down and takes her threaded needle, looping the knots over the existing framework and then filling in them in, grid-like, until it’s all more or less a bunch’a  little squares again. This, however, takes some time, an’ though the nets are in pretty good shape, she’s runnin’ a bit behind the others in their tasks.

That’s what happens when a landlubber takes on a sailin’ task. Still, at least Raza ain’t trippinn over herself or the nets when she starts to take ‘em back up to the ship.

-----------------

Raza mends the nets and begins to take them back onto the ship.

I’m not an artist I’m a fucking work of art

This almost looks like it's going to be an easy, efficient job. Raza is successful in mending together the nets, and in hauling them on board the Ark - there's no unravelling rope, there's no dropping a net into the water. Just quick, clever work from a quick and clever lady. Once the nets are in place, Raza will be in a perfect position to watch the disaster that is what happens to Aurelia.

As if they've been watching (and let's be honest, they probably have), the hels circle and, when the girl starts to sweep the oats, they dive. A squad of 5 hels are currently on the attack - and that goes for the broom as well as the oats - and she'll have to do her best just to stay on the gangplank.

Perhaps it's because of this disruption that Melita finds one of the cannonballs evading her grasp, and it falls with a mighty plunk over the side of the gangplank, into the water below. That's probably the worst time for Jack to emerge from the depths to surface, but there it is.

Glaring up into the pale sun, he hollers at them. "Need a hand down here!"

---

So yeah. That happens.

- Someone should probably help Aurelia!
- Someone else (preferably with a manta crystal) should join Jack in the water.

Melita

I never had a chance to be soft
I was always bloody knuckles

Truth be told, Melita’s had always been the type to become easily distracted. Shiny objects, fire, any semblance of danger, were all known to take her right off of any focus and concentration. This went for squawking, attacking hels as well.

Her fingers no longer had hold of the cannonball, and there was a grand thunk as it found a whole other host in the water, and she made a mental note to get that back later. Hopefully when Jack wasn’t around or looking.

Ignoring his holler for assistance, the youth figured she’d payback Aurelia’s help with her cloud wyrm siege from last time, grabbing hold of her staff, one hand extended towards the fellow smuggler as she rushed across the gangplank, attempting to steady. “Hang on!” Then, of course, she also swung her staff at a few of the offending birds, hoping it would either tell them to leave off, strike them down, or a beautiful combination of both.

--

Melita goes to help Aurelia, intending to grab hold of her, and then use her staff to swing/hit at the hels.

and shards of glass
I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me

how do you wanna face it? when the end is so close you can taste it

It’s pure Schadenfreude in Raza’s head an all she does is lean on the railin’ to watch the Hels attack the other chick, not even tryin’ to hide it. Even when Melita’s cannon ball goes astray, she stays up on the deck until Jack’s request makes it up to her and she pulls her attention from the squawkin’.What’s that? A half-naked Jack needs help?

Well don’t mind if she does. “Comin!” she yells down to him. Strippin off her shirt, Raza ties the manta crystal around her neck and makes sure the water seems deep enough to dive into before she perches on top’a the bow’ an’ dives into the water, a lithe, brown seal-like figure cutting through the water until she pops up in his general vicinity.

----------------

Raza laughs at Aurelia's situation until Jack calls and then she dives into the water to help him.

Aurelia

and that the world is always our fault
when we did nothing, how did we do wrong?

Aurelia is completely taken by surprise when the Hels dive down to bombard her. She lets out a few shouts of protest, raising her broom to try and whack a few of the worst offenders. "Ohh- fuck right off!" she snaps angrily.

She's oblivious to anyone who might be watching and laughing, only noticing Melita because the other girl reaches out to steady her. In a breath, she nods appreciatively.

There's a moment of pause in Aurelia's battle with the Hels, to let Melita take over with her staff. A staff that has effects all too familiar, so she tries not to get hit by it. But she's quickly back at it, attempting to use the broom to help Melita ward off the pesky birds.

---

Aurelia fights the Hels with Melita! To battle! >:0

and I've been thinking that when we thought
the world would break us, that we weren't wrong

I’m not an artist I’m a fucking work of art

Well. Would you look at these girls go. Clearly the Hels are about to learn a lesson in exactly why you ought not get on the wrong side of Jack's crew (or at least Melita and Aurelia, in any case). Each woman separately is a firecracker. Together? Staffs fly, brooms thwack, wings flap. And the Hels swiftly decide fuck this, and they swarm away as quickly as they appeared. Which, of course, leaves the gangplank littered with still-to-be-shifted-supplies, bits of wood and broom, and Hel shit.

...Better finish up.

Jack and Raza, meanwhile, will plunge into the water together, deep beneath the Ark. The water is crystal clear, at least, and for these two Torchers, it's likely a place they know better than the land. What might be a surprise, for Raza at least, are the two Mer waiting for them. There's a whole operation going on beneath the ship, but it's about to come to an end at least.

Raza will see the scars left by the ghost whales, and she'll see also the repair work that's underway. Patched and fixed up, the ship will sail again. There's just the matter, now of... barnacles, obviously.

With a bright grin, Jack produces a chisel which he hands to Raza, before he goes to work as well.

---

Mel and Relia are successful in driving off the Hels, and now the gangplank needs to be cleaned and the rest of the supplies need to be moved on board!

Raza and Jack are scraping barnacles off the Ark's hull. FUN.

Melita

I never had a chance to be soft
I was always bloody knuckles

With great relish, with malicious intentions, the fervor of her fury caused a triumphant little smirk and snicker, enjoyment and ebullience, as the Hels began to regret their decision. In another moment, the flurry and flutter of wings ensured their presence were no longer to be regarded; a good riddance, as her eyes followed them back along the horizon. It was tempting to draw her bow and finish the job off.

However, there were more things to do – especially based on the mess left behind. She shrugged and rolled her shoulders, a snort drifting through, a self-satisfied huff following. “There.” She dusted off her hands, placing the staff back along her belt, as if the nuances never occurred or happened. Just another day at the office. Or ship.

Thereafter, Melita tended to the supplies again, grabbing hold, and carrying them along the threshold, striving to bring them within the bounty of the Ark without some other great travesty striking.

--

Melita grabs hold of the supplies!

and shards of glass
I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me